Manchester City becomes the world's first football club to launch Facebook Messenger bot

Manchester City has signed up to Facebook’s bots on Messenger service, becoming the first football club to launch on the platform.

Facebook’s Messenger bots let brands chat with users online to offer customer service, and are being implemented by publishers like CNN to send Facebookers who opt-in news updates.

Subscribers who sign up to Man City’s chatbot will be able to receive updates on the following topics: pep talk, transfer news and social buzz. Meanwhile, a matchday topic will include coverage of key events and video highlights expected once the 16/17 season kicks off.

Messages from the club will also include breaking news, exclusive photos, behind-the-scenes videos and more.

Diego Gigliani, senior vice-president of media and innovation at City Football Marketing, said: “We are delighted to announce another digital first for Manchester City. Messaging platforms have huge global audiences and our fans all over the world are spending more and more time on them.

“Messaging apps are on the path to becoming one of the most important ways of delivering content directly into fans’ hands, as seen already in China with WeChat, and we wanted City fans to be the first to benefit from this experience on Facebook Messenger.”

Other recent digital innovations for City include the first ever Premier League game broadcast live in virtual reality, the launch of an official Manchester City Giphy page and the installation of a 360-degree camera in the players’ tunnel.